After six and a half years as the operator of the Smithville Golf Course and Swimming Pool, Tony Poss is calling it quits.
He has given notice that he is ending his lease with the City of Smithville. The nine hole golf course and pool are currently closed.
It will be up to the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen to name a successor.
Poss entered into a 10 year lease with the city in February, 2011 with an option to extend the term of the lease for an additional 10 years.

A 42 year old woman has been arrested for allegedly trying to buy a television she knew was stolen.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW MUG SHOTS OF PERSONS RECENTLY BOOKED AT THE DEKALB COUNTY JAIL- Intakes & Releases From: 8/7/2017 Thru: 8/14/2017)
Seagate Crystal Reports – REPOR_34.pdf (3.87 MB)
Patty Sue Tatrow of Coconut Ridge Road, Smithville is charged with theft under $1,000 and filing a false report. She was later charged with aggravated burglary for knowing the crime (home burglary and TV theft) had taken place and for not reporting it in order to benefit herself. Her total bond is $21,000 and her court date is August 24.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Thursday, July 20 Tatrow tried to buy a stolen 50 inch Samsung television taken from a residence on Blackberry Hill Road. According to Sheriff Ray, Tatrow knew the TV was stolen and was trying to purchase it for herself from the man charged with committing the crime, Corey Bradford. After being confronted by law enforcement officers, Tatrow knowingly made a false statement to them about the TV in order to obstruct and hinder the investigation.
28 year old Brandon Michael Hensley of Rickman Road, Cookeville is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence. He was also cited for no insurance, driving on roadways laned for travel, simple possession of a schedule VI drug (marijuana), and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond is $3,000 and his court date is August 24. Sheriff Ray said that on Tuesday, August 8 a deputy stopped a vehicle for failure to maintain its lane of travel on Highway 70 east. The officer spoke with the driver, Hensley and noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person. Hensley admitted to having consumed some alcohol. A search incident to arrest turned up 2.9 grams of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana and a glass smoking pipe. Hensley submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. A search warrant was obtained to get a blood sample from Hensley.
22 year old John Thomas Mason of Blue Springs Road, Smithville is charged driving on a revoked license and evading arrest. He is under a total bond of $5,000 and he will make a court appearance on August 24. He also faces two counts of violation of probation and is being held without bond. He will be in court on those offenses September 11. Sheriff Ray said that on Wednesday, August 9 a deputy tried to pull over a white Honda on Short Mountain Highway for running a stop sign but the vehicle sped up and got away. It was later found abandoned on Big Hickory Court, Smithville. The driver had left the vehicle on foot. He was later found and identified as Mason. Through a routine check through central dispatch, officers learned Mason’s driver license are revoked. He was placed under arrest.
39 year old Grady Lytle Murphy of Jackson Street, Smithville is charged with a fourth offense of driving on a suspended license. His bond is $5,000 and his court date is August 31. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, August 10 a deputy spotted a silver Ford Mustang cross the double yellow line on New Home Road. The officer pulled over the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Murphy. A check through central dispatch revealed Murphy’s license were suspended for failure to answer to an original violation in Smithville. He has been convicted for the same offense (driving on a suspended license) in Cannon County and twice before in DeKalb County. Murphy was placed under arrest.
52 year old Ronald Gene Flarity of Burchwood, Tennessee is charged with domestic assault and being a fugitive from justice. His bond is $55,000 and his court date is August 17. Sheriff Ray said that on Wednesday, July 19 a deputy spoke with a woman who said she had been thrown from an SUV. The woman told the officer that Flarity pushed her from the passenger side of the vehicle on Cookeville Highway causing her to fear bodily injury. A witness reported seeing the SUV come to a rolling stop and a woman being pushed out. The witness came to the aid of the woman as the SUV drove away. During the investigation, an officer found Flarity at a residence on Holmes Creek Road. A computer check revealed an active warrant against him from Catoosa Georgia. He was placed under arrest.
45 year old Tanya Rochelle Anderson of Medley Lane Baxter is charged with driving on a revoked license. She was further cited for violation of roadways laned for travel and for not having an ignition interlock device on her vehicle. Her bond is $1,500 and she will be in court on August 31. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, August 11 a deputy stopped a vehicle for failing to maintain its lane of travel on Sparta Highway. The officer spoke with the driver, Anderson who admitted that she had no license on her person. A computer check confirmed that her license were revoked on January 25, 2017 for driving under the influence but that she has a restricted license. Anderson could produce no paperwork or license but said she would continue driving after she dropped off a friend.

Existing fluorescent lights in the DeKalb County Courthouse and the Jail will be replaced and retrofitted with light-emitting diode (LED) lights thanks to a Clean Tennessee Energy Grant through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The grant for DeKalb County totals $18, 928 with a local match of $18, 928 for a total project cost of $37,856. In February, the county commission authorized the grant application through the Upper Cumberland Development District
DeKalb County is one of 24 Tennessee communities that will be receiving grant funding for clean energy projects. The total award amount statewide is $1.9 million. The Clean Tennessee Energy Grant (CTEG) program provides financial assistance to municipal governments, county governments, utility districts and other entities created by statute. Awarded projects have demonstrated a plan to reduce air emissions, improve energy efficiency and create cost savings.
A TVA Energy walk through lighting audit was conducted several months ago at the courthouse and jail as a service of Smithville Electric System to provide an energy usage analysis and the potential impact of LED lighting retrofits. Many of the lights throughout the courthouse are currently comprised of T-8, T-12, T-8 U tubes, and linear fluorescent bulbs that use a great deal of electricity. The jail also has a combination of obsolete T-8 and T-12 bulbs. LED lights, while more expensive, last much longer, consume less electricity and will make the buildings more energy efficient.
Retrofit lighting fixtures to LEDs in the Courthouse is to result in an estimated savings of 43,749 kWh and $5,955 annually. Converting lighting fixtures in the County Jail to LEDs will translate into an estimated savings of 51,132 kWh or $5,319 annually.
“Clean Tennessee Energy Grants help our communities reduce costs, increase savings, waste less energy and promote clean air,” said Governor Bill Haslam. “I appreciate the efforts of these grant recipients whose work will continue to make Tennessee a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
“We were pleased to offer this round of grant funding to communities that have not received support before or are identified as distressed by the Department of Economic and Community Development,” said Robert “Bob” Martineau, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. “From more cost-effective lighting systems to efficient heating and air units, these awards will enhance service to customers while minimizing operating costs for these entities, saving taxpayer dollars.”
These projects will help improve air quality by reducing sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, oxides of nitrogen, hazardous air pollutants and greenhouse gases.
Funding preference was given to distressed counties identified by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and counties that have not previously received CTEG funding. Twenty of the grantees have not received CTEG funding before. Additionally, awarded projects must have a simple payback of less than 10 years.
Funding comes from a 2011 Clean Air Act settlement with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Under the Consent Decree, Tennessee received $26.4 million to fund clean air programs in the state.

A fire destroyed a residence at 379 Magness Road early this morning (Tuesday) believed to be the home of Nathan Joe Trapp.
Central dispatch received the call at 3:06 a.m.

Upon arrival firefighters found the structure fully engulfed in flames. It could not be saved.
No one was at the residence at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is undetermined.
Members of the Short Mountain Highway, Belk, and Main Stations of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with the tanker truck. Deputies of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department were also there.

A Smithville Police Officer received minor injuries in a traffic accident this morning (Monday) at the intersection of North Congress Boulevard and East Main Street.
Lieutenant Detective Matt Holmes was taken by DeKalb EMS to St. Thomas DeKalb Hospital where he was treated and released.
Trooper Ronnie Smith of the Tennessee Highway Patrol told WJLE that 22 year old Ethan Byford of Smithville was traveling north on Congress Boulevard in a 2004 Dodge pickup truck when he ran the red light and struck Holmes’ police car.
Lieutenant Detective Holmes was crossing Congress Boulevard from East Main Street heading west when his 2010 Ford Crown Victoria was struck in the side.
Byford was not injured but was cited for running the red light.

Dailey & Vincent, one of today’s most celebrated bluegrass duos, spent the day Monday downtown Smithville shooting scenes for a new music video called “Unsung Heroes” from their latest CD project “Patriots & Poets”.
“Unsung Heroes” pays tribute to veterans and active duty military soldiers as well as law enforcement officers, first responders, and others who perform a service for their fellow man but often go unrecognized. The music video will even feature several of those hometown heroes from right here in DeKalb County
The production crew spent part of the morning videoing scenes at Sundance Restaurant where local veterans, including one as old as 93, gathered around a dining table with county music star Aaron Tippin, who was invited, to visit and swap stories for the Dailey & Vincent project. The duo later joined the veterans at the table to perform the song “Unsung Heroes” in their honor as part of the video shoot.
Dailey, who co-wrote the song with country music stars Bill Anderson and former Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune, said it sends a powerful message. “We sat down and asked each other what we thought we would like to write about and Bill said I think we should write about the unsung heroes like the first responders and people who do things that are kind to other people. We call them the unsung heroes and that is what we wrote about,” said Dailey.
Vincent, who makes his home in DeKalb County, decided another fellow entertainer and DeKalb Countian should also be part of this project too. “Thinking of the veterans, we invited Aaron Tippin, a staunch supporter of the military. When Jamie wrote this song and we decided to do a video, I told him we can’t do this with Aaron. He was my first call and he said he would be glad to do it. I am so happy to have him here. Aaron has been part of this community for many years and I am so thankful he took time out of his busy schedule to be part of this video shoot with these gentlemen and to help us say thank you and pay homage to them for what they have done for the freedoms that we have. This is such a huge blessing and we are so thankful to Aaron and all of them,” said Vincent.
Local veterans to be featured in the Dailey & Vincent “Unsung Heroes” music video are Kenny Bly, Tommy Webb, Donald Gilbert, Paul Robinson, Jerry Lee Cantrell, Edward Frazier, Edsel Frazier, and Alan Stengel. The music video is expected to be released within the next couple of months.
Their newest album, “Patriots & Poets”, which features “Unsung Heroes” both builds and expands upon the previous releases of Dailey & Vincent, offering good hard-driving bluegrass alongside polished acoustic country tracks and it includes collaborations with Steve Martin, Doyle Lawson, TaRanda Greene, David Rawlings, and Bela Fleck.
Grand Ole Opry members, five-time GRAMMY award winners individually, three-time GRAMMY award nominees collectively, four-time DOVE Award winners, and winners of 35 IBMA Awards altogether (including 3-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award winners and 3-Time Vocal Group of the Year Award winners), Dailey & Vincent, backed by one of the best bands on tour today, are some of the most reputable and elite entertainers in American music; bluegrass, traditional country and gospel music. They have garnered world-wide attention with their first national, top-rated television series, “The Dailey & Vincent Show,” on RFD TV and over 500 airings of their PBS special “Dailey & Vincent ALIVE – In Concert.” Their CD, Dailey & Vincent ALIVE, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and remained at the top position for over 15 weeks.

Smithville Electric System is only weeks away from energizing its new substation.
The John Robert Nixon substation, named for the longest serving member of the Smithville Electric System Board of Directors, is located on just over five acres at 1239 South College Street.
While SES will continue to share the existing substation on West Main Street with TVA and Caney Fork Electric Cooperative, the new one will be solely for the use of Smithville Electric System.
“The work on the substation is actually complete. TVA has to do final testing on their meter and then we will be able to energize the transformer. This should be done within the next few days. We have some cosmetic work to finish on the property, landscaping, sod work and planting some trees. The replacing of the line down College Street is about 45 to 60 days behind schedule due partially to weather delays. The contractor plans on energizing part of the new line and start moving everything over from the old lines this week. We will be able to remove all the old poles once the transformers and equipment, including the cable TV and telephone lines, are moved to the new poles. SES plans on having a dedication ceremony in honor of Mr. Nixon but the date has not been set,” Richie Knowles, Interim SES Manager told WJLE.
The idea of building a second substation has been in the making for several years but the SES board began to put the plan in motion two years ago when it purchased the property on College Street after receiving approval from TVA to proceed.
According to Knowles, the new substation will provide the City of Smithville an alternate power source. “We will be able to supply power to the entire city from either substation. We can do maintenance work on the West Main Street substation without shutting off the power to the entire city,” he said.
The new substation will also be a plus for industrial recruitment to the city and lessen power outage concerns of industries already here. “Taking a city wide outage is very expensive for everyone involved. A planned outage cost to our industries alone is approximately $200,000 an hour. The new substation will help keep that from happening. It will also provide us a secondary feed for industries that might be looking at possibly coming to Smithville. That is usually their first question “do you have a dual feed”? Soon we’ll be able to say “yes we do”. Hopefully that will help attract new industry and help us keep the industry we have,” said Knowles.
Smithville Electric System is governed by a five member board of directors, appointed by the Mayor. In addition to Nixon, other current members of the board are Tony Hagan, Walter Burton, Hilton Conger and Smithville Mayor Jimmy Poss.
Nixon is in his 48th year as a member of the SES board, which was founded in 1969. Other original members of the board were, Bill Maffett, Dr. W.E. Vanatta, John Bill Evins, and Clarence Braswell. Nixon has just been reappointed to a new term on the SES board but has stepped down as chairman, a position he has held since the beginning.
In a recent interview with WJLE, Nixon reflected on the history of Smithville Electric System. “We started in May 1969. The City of Smithville issued utility service bonds to purchase the electric system for $450,000 from McMinnville Electric, which had been operating the system for 25 years. McMinnville Electric had bought it from Tennessee Electric in 1944. After Smithville Electric System was formed, the city appointed a board to make all the decisions for the electric utility,” he said.
Today, Smithville Electric System serves more than 2,500 metered customers, more than double the number in 1969.
Nixon said Smithville is fortunate to have its own electric utility with directors who have managed it so well over the years. “When we decided to build this new substation, we didn’t have to borrow the money or raise rates to do it. We already had the $3 million dollars needed to complete the project,” he said.
Born in the Cove Hollow area, Nixon grew up and was educated in DeKalb County. He started college in 1948 at MTSU in Murfreesboro. He married June Judkins in 1951 and was drafted later that year. After serving in the U.S. Army including a tour of duty in Korea, he returned home to his wife and a job offer.
“Jim Amonett approached me about going to work at the Chevrolet garage”, he said.
Nixon later joined Amonett as partner owners of the business which became known as Amonett-Nixon Chevrolet. Nixon sold his interest in the dealership and left in 1983 to take on a new role as Clerk and Master for the DeKalb County Chancery Court, after having been appointed by Chancellor Vernon Neal. He served in that position for sixteen years.
Nixon has two daughters, Gwen Tolbert and Sandra Wall; and a granddaughter Tara Tolbert. His wife June passed away in 2009.